The Daily Life of the Demon King

Chapter 38 - 38: Haruhime’s New Fate and the Beginning of Training

Waking up the next morning, Alex felt he hadn't slept this well since arriving in this world. After lying in bed for a bit, he realized something was missing and started feeling around the bed for another person. Not finding who he was looking for, Alex opened his eyes and began looking around for the goddess who always sneaks into his bed. Confirming that Hestia was nowhere to be found, he sighed in frustration and decided it was time to get up. Dressing and heading to the dining hall to have his morning coffee and start his day, Alex walked downstairs and was surprised to see everyone already sitting at the table and having breakfast.

Alex couldn't understand how this could have happened. Usually, in the mornings, only Hephaestus and Tsubaki were up for breakfast, while the rest loved to sleep in and wouldn't wake up unless disturbed. Pushing these thoughts aside, Alex approached Hestia, who was eating breakfast, kissed her on the head, and took an empty seat next to her. Everyone watching Alex slightly smiled because his actions were so smooth, as if he was already used to doing this.

"Good morning. How come everyone's up so early?" Alex asked, sipping from his cup.

"It's already 10 AM," Hephaestus said, watching Alex, who choked on his coffee upon hearing her words.

"How is that possible? I usually wake up early," Alex said, stroking his chin. Remembering what he did yesterday, he smiled, realizing why he had slept so well.

Everyone who saw his smile understood he had done something, but they were more interested in when he managed to do it. Hephaestus, who figured it out faster than anyone, realized he had done something last night when he went to bed.

"What did you do last night after you went to bed?" Hephaestus asked, drawing everyone's attention. All eyes were again on Alex, who blushed upon hearing her question.

"I went to bed. You know I go to bed on a schedule to maintain my sleep routine," Alex replied, trying to divert suspicion.

"I would believe you if we had just met. But over the time I've known you, I've come to understand that you must have done something," Hephaestus said, not letting Alex "off the hook."

"Hephaestus, what about our love and trust? How can you doubt me?" Alex asked, making a pitiful face.

"I might love you, but that doesn't mean I'll believe you when you say you did nothing," Hephaestus replied, not believing Alex's pitiful face. But when she realized what she had said, her face turned red. Everyone at the table had their mouths wide open, not believing what Hephaestus had just said. Hephaestus began mentally cursing herself for yesterday's conversation with Hestia.

"I love you too, but honestly, I did nothing last night," Alex replied, trying to fix the situation, but his words had the opposite effect, and Hephaestus blushed even more.

"Alex, tell the truth. Your innocent face won't fool anyone anymore," Hestia said, staring intently at Alex. The girls at the table watched Hestia and thought she would be jealous, but they didn't know that Hestia and Hephaestus had formed a united front to keep bad women away from Alex.

"Alright," Alex clicked his tongue. "Yesterday, I visited Haruhime's old home."

Everyone at the table understood that this did not end well.

"Lord Alex, you didn't blow anything up or throw a meteor at the house, did you?" Haruhime asked nervously.

"Haruhime, you don't need to call me 'Lord,' just call me Alex. And no, I didn't throw a meteor or blow anything up," Alex said, causing the group to breathe sighs of relief. But then they tensed, realizing that if he didn't do that, he must have caused trouble in another way.

"Then, Lord Alex—" Haruhime began, but Alex's gaze stopped her, and she fell silent. "Then, Alex, what did you do when you went to my old home?" Haruhime asked nervously.

"I just had a nice chat with your father and brother," Alex said with a sweet smile. But Lili and Hestia knew that he didn't just have a nice chat.

"Why did you talk to my brother?" Haruhime asked, not understanding what her brother had to do with it.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" Alex asked, looking into Haruhime's eyes. His question left her stunned, not understanding why he asked that.

"Um… Can I know the truth?" Haruhime asked, nervous but wanting to know the truth.

"Alright. Yesterday, I went to take revenge for what your father did to you. But after I beat him and read his memories, I saw that it was your brother who framed you, and your father wanted to protect his son instead of punishing him. After learning the truth about why you were sold, I went to your brother and read his memories. The reason he framed you was because he was jealous that you befriended the children of your god and that Takemikazuchi himself was kind to you. He decided to frame you to get rid of you. He thought that after you disappeared, he would receive the same treatment you did, but he didn't expect Takemikazuchi's family to leave the area to look for you. After that, he behaved even worse, but I won't say what your brother did," Alex explained the reason why Haruhime faced such a terrible fate. It was all due to simple jealousy.

Haruhime, hearing the reason why her life turned out so horribly, began to cry, unable to believe that her younger brother, with whom she had been close in childhood, had framed her. The girls began to comfort the crying Haruhime, and Lili especially sympathized with her, as she had faced a similar fate and understood her pain. Hestia, learning the truth, became even angrier and regretted not allowing Alex to launch a meteor at the perpetrators' house. Hephaestus could only look at the girl with pity, not knowing how to support her. She glanced at Alex, signaling him to help.

Alex, seeing Hephaestus's look, just shook his head with a crooked smile, knowing he was the reason Haruhime was crying. Remembering the words of a respected person, he decided to say them to Haruhime to help her.

"Haruhime, don't cry and listen to me," Alex said, approaching the girl and gently stroking her head to get her attention. Haruhime felt the hand on her head, turned to Alex, who was looking at her with kind eyes, and wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Listen, Haruhime, as a wise man once said, whom I hope to meet one day: 'Family is not limited to blood ties, nor does it begin with them. Family cares about you no matter what you do for them. Family stands by you in both sorrow and joy. They always have your back, no matter what.' Now, you don't need to

The process happened instantly, and before them stood a new Haruhime with two tails and a changed hair color: previously golden, her hair now had white tips.

"I told you it would be quick. Probably," Alex said, examining Haruhime for any issues.

"How do you feel?" he asked the girl, who was still in a daze.

"I don't know how to describe it, but I feel like I've gotten stronger," Haruhime replied, trying to understand what had happened to her.

"It's good to hear you're feeling better. Now I need to fetch Loki's familia," Alex said, turning his gaze away from her new tails.

Before leaving, Alex kissed Hestia on the cheek and prepared to depart, but noticed Hephaestus's jealous glance, which she quickly tried to hide. Alex approached Hephaestus, which flustered her, and kissed her on the cheek before teleporting away, leaving Hephaestus with a deeply flushed face and the others with their mouths wide open.

Teleporting directly into Loki's home, Alex found himself in the middle of the living room, causing a commotion among its members. Seeing the flash, everyone grabbed their weapons, but upon recognizing Alex, they sighed with relief and forced awkward smiles, not understanding why he had appeared in their hall.

"Yo, kids, how's it going?" Alex asked, noticing the weapons pointed at him.

"Could you not appear in the middle of my house without warning! Because of you, I broke a bottle of alcohol I barely managed to get!" Loki shouted, pointing at the shattered glass on the floor.

Alex glanced at the broken bottle and gave an apologetic smile.

"And besides, it's still morning, and you're already hitting the bottle. Aren't you ashamed of the example you're setting for your familia?" Alex said, pointing at Loki and trying to deflect from his own mistake.

"Don't point your finger at me! It's your fault. And pay me back for my alcohol!" Loki said, running up to Alex and grabbing him by the collar.

"Alright, calm down. I came here to take you all to training today," Alex said, lifting Loki and placing her over his shoulder.

"Put me down! I'm not a child!" Loki screamed, trying to break free.

"How about no. Now be quiet," Alex said, giving her a light smack on the behind. Loki felt the smack and fell silent, not understanding what had just happened. All the members of Loki's familia stared with their mouths agape.

"Before I take you, how's your progress after training?" Alex asked, looking at the surprised group.

"To sum up, we've become stronger. Our stats haven't changed, but our strength has increased," Finn, who had been tracking the group's progress, replied.

"See, I told you it's possible to get stronger without Falna. Now, my dear kids, gather up; you're in for an exciting three-month adventure," Alex said, giving a thumbs up.

"You mean torture," Beta said, recalling what they had been through.

"It's all small stuff, my wolf friend," Alex said, rolling his eyes.

"And if you do well, you'll get a reward," Alex said, creating confetti, which elicited sighs from Reveria, who watched as he foolishly used magic.

"And what's the reward?" Tiona asked, running up to Alex.

"It's a secret," Alex replied, patting her on the head.

"And if I kiss you, will you tell me what the reward is?" Tiona asked, with some of the girls looking at Alex with anticipation.

"Nope. You can kiss me, but I still won't tell you," Alex said, continuing to pat her on the head, causing her to start acting like a cat.

"And if I add Ais and Grandma Reveria to the mix?" Tiona said, trying to melt his heart.

"I wouldn't mind, but I still won't say," Alex replied, causing the cheeks of the mentioned girls to flush.

"Are you going to hold me like this forever, or are you waiting for me to kiss you too? If you want a kiss, just say so, don't be shy," Loki said, still hanging on Alex's shoulder.

Everyone was embarrassed, realizing they had completely forgotten about Loki.

"I already told you, you can only try that when your breath doesn't smell like alcohol," Alex said, setting Loki down on the ground.

Loki heard his words, puffed up, and began to act like a spoiled child.

"Alright, that's all you're getting for now," Alex said, kissing Loki on the head. She started twirling in place but then stopped, realizing that it wasn't enough for her.

"Now I'll send you to the training grounds in my house, or do you want to walk there on your own?" Alex asked, causing the members of Loki's familia to ponder.

"Send us, I don't want to walk, I'm so tired," Loki said, starting to whine.

Alex looked at her, and his eyelid began twitching at the thought of how she could already be tired.

"Whatever you say, but I won't go with you. I have more business to take care of. I'll come and start the training as soon as I'm done," Alex said.

After chatting a bit more with Loki's familia, Alex sent them to the training grounds and prepared to head to Freya, unsure whether to teleport or simply show up at Babylon. Not knowing if she was home, he decided to walk to Babylon to check. Upon arriving at Babylon, he felt several gazes from the upper floor and realized that Freya was home. Waving at her in greeting, Alex decided to teleport directly to her room.

To be continued...